Training & Technical Assistance Center
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Co-Planning for
Student Success
Considerations Packet
For more information contact:
E-mail:
ttacwm@wm.edu
Phone:
757-221-6000 or 800-323-4489
Website: http://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/index.php
Co-Planning for Student Success
This information packet is for co-teaching partners who wish to improve their planning practices.
Collaborative planning, or co-planning, occurs when a special and general educator combine their
expertise to plan instructional content, instructional delivery, and assessment of student learning
(Friend, 2014). This packet will focus on answering the following questions:
•
•
•
•
Why is a commitment to collaborative planning vital for an effective co-teaching partnership?
What planning process do co-teaching pairs use to effectively plan instruction?
What tools are available to assist in the co-planning process?
How do co-teachers determine their roles and responsibilities in the co-planning process?
Commitment to Co-Planning
Co-teaching is most effective when partners routinely schedule collaborative planning time. When
using co-teaching as a service delivery option, it is important that opportunities for periodic coplanning interaction are available. Administrative support is key to developing creative ways to ensure
that partners have common planning time (Muraswski, 2009). In so doing, Friend (2014) suggests
that structures and expectations for co-planning should be revised to reflect the growing demands on
educators’ time and the complexity of the master schedule. For example, administrators may opt to
provide longer periods of monthly or quarterly planning time for co-teachers instead of including
weekly planning time in the master schedule (Friend, 2014). Formalizing and structuring the planning
process provides co-teachers the opportunity to plan content, integrate Individualized Education
Program (IEP) goals into lessons, differentiate instruction and assessment, and determine
appropriate accommodations. It also allows them to (a) determine which co-teaching variations are
most appropriate for the lesson, (b) form student groups, and (c) assign teaching responsibilities.
Beginning and experienced co-teachers alike may use the Collaborative Planning Questionnaire (see
Appendix A) to assess their co-planning practices and determine areas of strength and need. Once
they have completed the questionnaire, co-teaching partners are ready to determine areas for
improvement by examining the “We need to do this!” statements. For example, co-teachers may have
marked exclamation points (sign of needed action) by statements pertaining to curricular adaptations,
differentiation for individual needs, and use of co-teaching variations. As a result, in future planning,
they will more carefully consider the variations of co-teaching and differentiate practice activities and
assessments based on student needs. They will also seek professional development in the areas in
which they need more skills and knowledge.
Structuring the Planning Process
“Although many incentives appeal to specific individuals, the one incentive that is common to and
highly valued by everyone engaged in education and educational reform is time – time for shared
reflection and planning with colleagues” (Villa &Thousand, 2005, p. 65). Effective co-planners honor
their time together by determining a meeting place and time, coming prepared, limiting interruptions,
and staying focused. Figure 1 provides an overview of the planning process.
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Figure 1. Planning process.
Pre-Plan
• Preview upcoming content
• Write down individual student needs, resources,
and activities
• Consider student IEP goals and accommodations
• Prepare mentally
Review, Reflect, Evaluate
• Reflect on teacher and student performance
o What worked well?
o What didn’t work?
See
Example
Agenda
Plan Lesson
• Discuss “big picture” issues first
• Discuss content
o Analyze difficult concepts and skills
• Plan content delivery
o Consider co-teaching variations
• Design practice activities
• Plan individual and group evaluation
See
Example
Lesson
Assign Roles and Responsibilities
• Identify needed materials
• Clarify teaching responsibilities
• Write out lesson plans for both teachers
Evaluate
•
•
•
•
•
Debrief
Praise each other’s efforts
Critique the week’s activities
Use problem-solving strategies
Revisit roles and responsibilities regularly
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Effective planning teams use a meeting agenda (see Appendices B and C for a Co-Planning Meeting
Agenda template and a completed example). An agenda helps partners follow specific procedures,
communicate clearly, and build a sense of purpose (Friend & Cook, 2007). Specifically, the meeting
agenda serves as a guide to review and reflect, to list issues and tasks related to planning instruction,
and to assign responsibilities. To ensure a smoothly flowing meeting and that notes are kept, the
roles of timekeeper and recorder should be decided at the start of the meeting and listed on the
agenda.
According to Tomlinson (2014), effective teachers create instructional activities and experiences that
“lead students to engage with and genuinely understand the subject” (p. 74). They are clear about
what students need to “know, understand, and be able to do” as a result of instruction and adjust
plans for subsequent lessons based on where students are relative to these goals. Approximately
20% of co-planning time should be used to review and reflect on the previous teaching session,
asking each other, “What worked well?” and “What didn’t work?” This type of reflection is important,
because, if individual students did not perform well, teachers can then develop review activities or
lessons to re-teach concepts and skills as needed.
Approximately 60% of the planning time should be used to plan instruction. Tomlinson (2014)
promotes the use of high-quality curriculum that emphasizes the connection between critical concepts
and students’ life experiences. During this time, co-teachers use their curriculum to discuss “big
picture” issues or critical concepts related to the content before talking about content delivery. For
example, before beginning a unit of study on the Civil War, teachers determine that students will need
to understand the concept of “civil war.” This is where planning partners determine co-teaching
variations (see Appendix D) and design practice activities that meet the specific needs of their
students. Specifically, during this part of planning the lesson, both teachers are focused on
differentiating instruction, selecting learning strategies to ensure mastery of new content, and
implementing pedagogical techniques in order to provide a safe learning environment for all students
(Murawski, 2009).
The remaining 20% of the planning time should be spent clarifying and assigning roles and
responsibilities. Partners decide who will develop and/or secure the materials needed to teach the
lesson and facilitate the practice activities. At the end of the agenda, the location and date for the
next meeting is recorded (see Appendix C). Once teachers have logged their ideas on the agenda,
more detailed lessons plans should be written from the “Plan Lesson” and “Assign Responsibilities”
sections of the agenda (see Appendices E and F for a Co-Teaching Weekly Lesson Plan template
and a completed example).
Roles and Responsibilities
Both general and special educators have concerns about their roles and responsibilities, Co-teachers
should consider assigning roles and responsibilities that capitalize on each partner’s strengths and
expertise. The following section describes potential roles for co-teachers.
Before Co-Planning Meeting (Pre-Planning)
• Each teacher should come to the planning meeting prepared. This means that a certain
amount of pre-planning must take place.
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•
•
The general educator is the content specialist and should bring the SOL Curriculum
Framework, textbooks, and other relevant resource materials. He should begin to reflect on the
“big ideas” and critical concepts that will be taught and share them with his co-teaching partner
at the meeting.
The special educator is considered the behavioral and learning specialist. Because she
focuses on the individual needs of students with disabilities, the special educator provides
important student information gleaned from IEPs. Student-at-a Glance forms and behavior
plans may be shared at the meeting or given to the co-teacher in advance (see Appendices G
and H for the Student-at-a-Glance form and example). It is critical to consider students’ IEP
goals, accommodations, and behavior plans as teachers plan instruction. Special educators
benefit from having access to the SOL Curriculum Framework for the content they will coteach. Knowing the particular SOL objectives and essential knowledge and skills is necessary
when planning appropriate teaching and learning strategies for the lesson.
During Co-Planning Meeting
• The general educator clarifies curriculum and content that will be addressed as well as
instructional objectives.
• The special educator provides information related to specially designed instruction that will be
provided for students with disabilities.
• Both educators analyze data for all students to identify progress or gaps to inform instructional
decisions (Friend, 2014).
• Both teachers brainstorm possible teaching techniques and activities.
• Both teachers determine the roles each will play in instruction based on student needs and the
variations of co-teaching to be used.
• Both teachers volunteer to prepare and gather materials for the lesson.
• One teacher acts as a scribe and provides a written copy of plans.
The scribe, in a chart form, can add roles and responsibilities of each teacher to the meeting
notes, as illustrated below.
Specific Activity or Role
Responsible Person
After Co-Planning Meeting
• To supplement the face-to-face co-planning, Friend (2014) recommends using electronic
platforms such as Edmodo, Evernote, and Wikispaces Classroom as effective collaborative
planning tools.
• Special education teacher prepares independently or with a specialist specially designed
instruction, accommodations, and modifications for individual students.
• Both teachers prepare and gather materials for the lesson.
• Both teachers deliver instruction during the co-taught lesson using the selected co-teaching
variations.
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After the Co-Taught Lesson (Evaluation)
• Both teachers evaluate student outcomes.
• The special educator monitors progress on IEP goals with the general educator’s input.
• Both teachers reflect upon their co-teaching relationship.
• Both teachers record notes regarding changes and suggestions for future lessons to be shared
at the next planning session.
Planning Tools
The co-teaching partners use a variety of tools to assist in planning their lessons and units. The
following section presents potential tools.
•
Enhanced Scope and Sequence PLUS (ESS+)
These differentiated lessons provide school divisions and teachers with a searchable database
of lessons designed to teach standards from the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL). The
lessons help teachers align their instruction with the state standards and provide examples for
differentiating instruction. The specific options for differentiating lessons include technology,
multisensory, community connections, small-group learning, vocabulary, and student
organization of content. Each of the sample lesson plans is aligned with essential knowledge
and skills in the Curriculum Framework. Visit the “SOL Enhanced” tab on T/TAC Online
http://www.ttaconline.org for differentiated lesson plans. See Appendix I for an Enhanced
Scope and Sequence PLUS Writing Lesson Plan.
•
Lesson Plan Books or Planning Templates
Teachers benefit from using a co-planning lesson plan book or template (Dieker & Little, 2005).
Dieker’s (2006) planning book is unique in that it is designed for both the general and the
special education teacher. The left side of the book, designed for the general educator to
complete, focuses on the core curriculum, activities, and assessment. On the right side, the
special education teacher notes academic and behavioral adaptations and differentiates
materials or supports. There is also a space for listing the co-teaching approaches (variations)
to be used during the lesson. This planning tool facilitates weekly communication around
instruction, student progress, and refinement of the co-teaching relationship (Dieker, 2006).
Many co-teachers design their own planning template based on their school division’s
requirements for lesson design. See Appendices E and F for a planning template and a
completed example adapted from the work of Walther-Thomas, Korinek, McLaughlin, and
Williams (2000).
•
Teacher Manuals
Such manuals often include chapter summaries and suggested activities for at-risk learners.
This type of resource is used to support general and special educators as they teach the
content. It may also help in pre-planning alternative assignments.
•
SOL Curriculum Framework Guides
Teachers can download the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Curriculum Framework
Guides for English, mathematics, science, and history and social science to guide their lesson
planning. The guides cover the content knowledge, skills, and understandings that are
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measured by the SOL assessments. Each Curriculum Framework identifies essential
understandings, defines essential content knowledge, and describes the skills students need
to use. Additional guidance is provided to teachers through a supplemental framework that lists
minimum content that all students must learn. Included in the framework are knowledge and
skills that can enrich instruction and increase an understanding of content in the SOLs (Virginia
Department of Education, 2008).
•
Pacing Guides
These are written schedules reflecting a period of time teachers have to cover the content for
any given subject. As such, these documents provide sequential organization of essential
understandings, content knowledge, and basic skills. Along with designated periods of time,
guides may include instructional strategies, materials, and assessment tools.
•
Free Lesson Plans
Several educational websites provide lessons plans designed to meet the needs of all learners
and specifically aligned with most state-wide standards. Examples include:
o http://www.lessonplans.com
o http://lessonplans4teachers.com
o http://www.theteacherscorner.net
o http://www.2teachllc.com/lessons.html
o http://udlexchange.cast.org/home
o http://www.patinsproject.com/UDLLessons/udlteam.html
•
Student Documents
Co-teachers save valuable planning time by reviewing student documents prior to the meeting.
Student documents may include IEPs, standardized assessment results, 504 Plans, behavior
plans, data summary forms, and Student-at-a-Glance forms (see Appendices G and H). The
special educator summarizes critical student information found in the IEP on Student-at-aGlance forms and shares the information with the general educator. All of the documents help
planning partners determine student learning needs and skill levels.
Planning Time Possibilities
When co-teachers do not have a scheduled co-planning time, they can explore other possibilities
such as the ones listed below:
• Compensate teachers for summer and after-school planning (Friend, 2014)
• Schedule planning time during school-based or division-wide professional development days
(Friend, 2014)
• Get creative with late-start or early-release days (Murawski & Dieker, 2004)
• Host a before-school planning breakfast
• Take time for an after-school “walk and talk”
• Create and post agendas and lesson plans on school share drives
• Share co-planning templates on an electronic platform
• Schedule quarterly power planning sessions
• Rotate substitutes for monthly planning sessions (Friend, 2014)
• Recruit volunteers or administrators to cover co-teachers’ classes (Friend, 2014)
• Eliminate hall duty or other job-related duties for co-teachers
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•
•
Schedule instructional assistants to monitor students during practice sessions while coteachers plan in back of classroom
Use free Web 2.0 resources (Closing the Communication Gap article by Charles and Dickens,
2012) designed to increase teacher communication and co-planning opportunities
o Anymeeting (http://www.anymeeting.com) is web-conferencing software
o Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com) is cloud-based used for storing documents and files
o Zoho (http://www.zoho.com) is cloud-based used for file sharing, chat, and other
collaborative activities
o Vocaroo (www.vocaroo.com) is a voice-recording service that teachers can use to
record reminders to send to students or record lesson plan suggestions for co-teachers
who do not have common planning times
As general and special educators join to teach together, collaborative planning must be woven into
schedules to promote student success. Planning sessions should occur frequently and routinely.
Walther-Thomas et al. (2000) offer the PARTNERS mnemonic to remind co-teachers of critical coplanning behaviors!
Plan together weekly
Address classroom concerns proactively
Receive ongoing administrative support
Thrive on challenges
Nurture a sense of classroom community
Evaluate student performance
Reflect on practice and strive for improvement
Support each other
Unorganized planning sessions often lead to ineffective lessons that result in limited student learning.
Incorporating the attitudes and actions described in the “Partners” mnemonic will provide the kind of
co-planning and co-teaching that will help build productive and collaborative planning sessions to
design effective lessons for all students.
This Considerations Packet was prepared by Tina Spencer and Sue Land (November, 2008). It was
revised by Tina Spencer January 2015.
References
DeBoer, A., & Fister, S. (1995). Working together: Tools for collaborative teaching. Longmont, CO:
Sopris West.
Dieker, L. (2006). The co-teaching lesson plan book (3rd ed.). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by
Design.
Dieker, L., & Little, M. (2005). Secondary reading: Not just for reading teachers anymore.
Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(5), 276-283.
Friend, M. (2014). Co-teach! Building and sustaining effective classroom partnerships in inclusive
schools (2nd ed.). Greensboro, NC: Marilyn Friend, Inc.
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Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2007). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals
(5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Murawski, W. W. (2009). Collaborative teaching in secondary schools: Making the co-teaching
marriage work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Murawski, W., & Dieker, L. (2004). Tips and strategies for co-teaching at the secondary level.
TEACHING Exceptional Children, 36(5), 52-58.
Tomlinson, C. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Villa, R., & Thousand, J. (2005). Creating an inclusive school. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities. (2001). Creating collaborative IEPs: A handbook.
Richmond, VA: Author.
Virginia Department of Education. (2008). English standards of learning curriculum framework.
Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/
Walther-Thomas, C., Korinek, L., McLaughlin, V. L., & Williams, B. (2000). Collaboration for inclusive
education: Developing successful programs. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Additional Resources
Resources on co-planning are available to educators in Superintendents Regions 2 and 3 for loan
through the T/TAC W&M library. Visit the website at http://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/index.php
for a complete listing of materials. Enter “co-teaching” or “planning” as the subject of the search.
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Click here to download the following appendices in a Word Document
Appendices: Planning Tools
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Collaborative Planning Questionnaire
Co-Planning Meeting Agenda Template
Co-Planning Meeting Agenda Example
Co-Teaching Variations
Co-Teaching Weekly Lesson Plan Template
Co-Teaching Weekly Lesson Plan Example
Student-at-a-Glance Form
Student-at-a-Glance Example
Enhanced Scope and Sequence PLUS Writing Lesson Plan
If you would like any of the forms or templates sent to you electronically, please send your request to
ttacwm@wm.edu.
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Appendix A
Collaborative Planning Questionnaire
Read each statement carefully. Place one of the following symbols in front of each statement.
! = We need to do this!
 = We already do this. Good for us!
? = We need information on this to incorporate it into our practice.
_____ 1. We plan regularly for at least one hour per week.
_____ 2. We plan our teaching roles and responsibilities prior to classroom instruction.
_____ 3. We continually evaluate our co- teaching relationship.
_____ 4. We generate strategies to meet individual needs.
_____ 5. We teach students cognitive or learning strategies.
_____ 6. We adapt curriculum, instruction, and assessment to meet individual needs.
_____ 7. We teach students social and communication skills.
_____ 8. We plan to use different co-teaching variations such as interactive teaching, station
teaching, parallel teaching, and alternative teaching.
_____ 9. We change teaching responsibilities during the week.
_____ 10. We use alternative assessments such as portfolio, curriculum-based
measures (CBM), oral reports, written tests, journals, or demonstrations.
_____ 11. We provide a variety of materials.
_____ 12. We allow time to reflect on and evaluate instruction on a daily basis as well as weekly.
_____ 13. We feel comfortable taking risks and trying new techniques.
_____ 14. We plan a content outline for the semester or year.
_____ 15. We come mentally prepared to our weekly planning.
Adapted from DeBoer, A., & Fister, S. (1995). Working together: Tools for collaborative teaching.
Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
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Appendix B
Co-Planning Meeting Agenda Template
Date: _________________________Note taker: _________________________
Timekeeper: _________________________
Review (20% of time)
Reflect on teacher and
student performance
• What worked well?
• What didn’t?
Plan Instruction (60% of
time)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Discuss “big picture”
issues first
Discuss content
Plan content delivery
Consider variations of
co-teaching
Design practice
activities
Plan individual and
group evaluation
Assign Responsibilities
(20% of time)
•
•
•
Identify needed
materials
Clarify teaching roles
and responsibilities
Write out
responsibilities for all
involved
Next Meeting Date:__________________
Place:__________________
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Appendix C
Co-Planning Meeting Agenda Example
The following agenda example supports the teaching of SOL objective, Writing 7.8.
The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writing:
a) Apply knowledge of prewriting strategies
b) Elaborate the central idea in an organized manner
c) Choose vocabulary and information that will create voice and tone
d) Use clauses and phrases to vary sentences
e) Revise writing for clarity and effect
f) Use a word processor to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish selected writings
Date: January 20
Note taker: Mr. Kelly
Review (20% of time)
Reflect on teacher and
student performance
• What worked well?
• What didn’t?
Plan Instruction (60% of
time)
• Discuss “big picture”
issues first
• Discuss content
• Plan content delivery
• Consider variations of
co-teaching
• Design practice
activities
• Plan individual and
group evaluation
Timekeeper: Mrs. Williams
1. Students presented book reports. Robert and
LaShandra did not perform well on their oral book
reports, so they will be given an opportunity to redo their
reports. Even though they were given two choices for
reporting on their books, these students required more
support during the planning and composing stages of
writing. Mrs. Williams will review brainstorming as a
planning strategy and provide a graphic organizer for
composing. She will monitor their progress throughout
the week.
2. Student writing samples revealed that all students need
instruction on the components of narrative writing and
review of the parts of a paragraph.
Big Picture: Components of narrative writing
Monday: Create a character description
Use lesson from SOL Enhanced Scope and Sequence
PLUS: Grade 7 English/Writing “Our Actions Show Who
We Really Are” found on www.ttaconline.org (see Appendix
I)
Tuesday and Wednesday: Write a narrative paragraph
• Topic
• Main idea sentence
• Detail sentences
• Concluding sentence
Use picture of sandwich to depict make-up of a paragraph
Thursday and Friday: Write a 3- to 5-paragraph narrative
paper
• Opening paragraph
• Supporting paragraphs
• Concluding paragraph
Students will be shown how to organize content of their
paper using a graphic organizer
Content:
Monday: Interactive Teaching
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Discuss writer’s technique of revealing character traits
through actions. Model composing sentences using the
graphic organizer and the grocery store scenario.
Tuesday: One Teach, One Assist
Discuss writing a paragraph with a main idea sentence,
detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence.
Model composing a paragraph by using the “I do, We do,
You do” instructional sequence.
Wednesday: One Teach, One Assist
No new content. Mrs. Williams will show the students three
examples of narrative paragraphs on overhead projector.
Using response boards, students will write down the main
idea, details, and concluding sentence of each paragraph.
Thursday: Interactive Teaching
Model composing a 3- to 5-paragraph paper by using the “I
do, We do, You do” strategy. Display the completed
narrative paper on a bulletin board so students can refer to
it whenever they wish. Students will write a 3- to 5paragraph paper entitled “All About Me.”
Friday: Alternative Teaching
Students will continue writing their narrative papers. A
small group of students will work with Mr. Kelly on writing a
group narrative paper.
Warm-up, practice, and wrap-up activities will be written on
the lesson plan template.
Assign Responsibilities Mrs. Williams
(20% of time)
• Poster-size graphic organizer for grocery store
•Identify needed materials
scenario
•Clarify teaching roles
• Graphic organizer
and responsibilities
• Grocery store items
•Write out responsibilities
• Gallon size bags
for all involved
• Poster boards and markers
Mr. Kelly
• Create rubric (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/)
• White boards for student responses
• Felt squares for erasing boards
• Erasable markers for response boards
• Large index cards to be used as exit cards
Next Meeting Date: January 27
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Place: Conference Room
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Appendix D
Co-Teaching Variations
Variation
One Teaching,
One Observing
(Whole group)
One Teaching,
One Assisting
(Whole group)
Station Teaching
(Small group)
Parallel Teaching
(Small group)
Description
Teachers alternate
roles of teaching
lessons and
observing students
for an understanding
of academic and
social functioning.
Planning
Time
Requirement
Low
Teachers alternate
roles of teaching
and supporting the
instructional
process.
Low
Small groups of
students rotate to
various stations for
instruction, review,
and/or practice.
Medium
Students are divided
into mixed-ability
groups, and each
co-teaching partner
teaches the same
Medium
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Example
A general educator teaches
a whole-group lesson on
writing complete sentences.
The special educator collects
data related to a single
student or small groups of
students. The data are used
to compare targeted student
behavior to the behavior of
others during the lesson
being taught. In future
lessons, teachers may
reverse roles when specific
behaviors need to be
observed.
A general educator teaches
a whole-group lesson on the
causes of the Civil War. The
specialist walks around the
classroom to assist students
by answering individual
questions or to redirect
students who are not
following the instruction. In
future lessons, teachers may
reverse roles.
A specialist works with a
small group of students on
prewriting, while the general
educator works with other
students on research skills.
Another group is using the
classroom computer to
research a topic. Over the
course of the week, all
students work at each
task/station.
The class is divided in half,
and each teacher works with
a group on creating a
timeline of important events
in history. At the end of the
15
material to one of
the groups.
Teaming or
Interactive
Teaching
(Whole group)
Alternative
Teaching (Big
group/small group)
Teachers alternate
the roles of
presenting,
reviewing, and
monitoring
instruction.
High
One teacher
teaches, re-teaches,
or enriches a
concept for a small
group, while the
other monitors or
teaches the
remaining class
members.
High
session, each group shares
its timeline and reviews
important concepts.
Co-teachers teach a wholegroup lesson on fractions.
The specialist introduces the
concept and provides initial
instruction. The general
educator directs the guided
practice and evaluation. In
future lessons, the partners
may reverse roles.
The specialist works with a
small group of students on
an enrichment project, while
the general educator teaches
the remainder of the
students.
Adapted from Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2007). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston,
MA: Pearson Education.
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Appendix E
Co-Teaching Weekly Lesson Plan Template
Week of: ___________________
Subject: ___________________
Unit: ____________________________________________
Days
Lesson
CoTeaching
Variation*
Who?
Preparation and
Materials
Who?
Student Needs
Accommodations
Monday
Warm-Up:
Content:
Practice Activities:
Wrap-Up:
Assessment:
Tuesday
Warm-Up:
Content:
Practice Activities:
Wrap-Up:
Assessment:
Wednesday Warm-Up:
Content:
Practice Activities:
Wrap-Up:
Assessment:
Thursday
Warm-Up:
Content:
Practice Activities:
Wrap-Up:
Assessment:
Friday
Warm-Up:
Content:
Practice Activities:
Wrap-Up:
Assessment:
*Codes: Interactive – I, Parallel- P, Station – S, Alternative – A, One Teach, One Assist –TA
General Educator – GE, Special Educator – SE.
Adapted from Walther-Thomas, C., Korinek, L., McLaughlin, V. L., & Williams, B. (2000). Collaboration for inclusive
education: Developing successful programs. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
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Appendix F
Co-Teaching Weekly Lesson Plan Example
Week of: October 6-October 10
Subject: English/Writing
Unit: Developing narrative, expository, and persuasive writing (SOL 7.8)
This Week’s Objective: The students will write a 3- to 5-paragraph narrative paper to include an introductory paragraph, detail
paragraph(s), and a summary paragraph.
Days
Monday
Lesson
Warm-Up:
*Lead students in a discussion about what
items you would expect to find in each of
the shopping carts of the persons named
on the graphic organizer.
*Have students discuss what grocery item
might NOT be expected to be in the
individual carts.
Circulate around the room during the
warm-up discussion.
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Co-Teaching
Variation
Preparation and
Materials
Who?
One Teach,
One assistTA
Who?
*Create and post
large graphic
organizer of
pictures of 3 people
and shopping cart
on classroom wall –
GE
Mr. Kelly
(GE) –
Teaching
*Create a graphic
organizer similar to
the one in the
ESS+ Lesson for
each student – SE
Mrs. Williams
(SE) –
*Determine IEP
Assisting
goals to incorporate
Interactive
into lesson – SE
Teaching (I)Both teachers
alternate
presenting
content –
GE & SE
18
Student Needs
Accommodations
*Provide Alpha Smarts with
word processing program for
Mary and Juan
*Assign students to
“character” groups
*Steve will dictate his
answers to Cynthia, who will
write them on the chart (peer
partners)
Content:
*Discuss writer’s technique of revealing
character traits through actions.
*Model composing sentences using
principal scenario.
*Have students complete their individual
graphic organizers.
Practice Activities:
• Assign each group a character
• Have students describe items their
character might be expected to
have in his/her cart that would
reveal his/her personality and one
out-of-character item
• Have students write a paragraph
based on completed graphic
organizer
Wrap-Up:
Student groups share their paragraphs
Assessment:
Completed graphic organizers and
paragraphs (Group and individual grades)
GE & SE
circulate the
classroom
Interactive
Teaching (I)
–
Both teachers
alternate
presenting
content
GE & SE
GE & SE
circulate the
classroom
and monitor
groups
GE & SE
Lesson Plan Source: Enhanced Scope and Sequence PLUS (English Standards of Learning for Grades 6-8).
*Codes: Interactive – I, Parallel – P, Station – S, Alternative – A, One Teach, One Assist –TA
General Educator – GE, Special Educator – SE.
Template adapted from Walther-Thomas, C., Korinek, L., McLaughlin, V. L., & Williams, B. (2000). Collaboration for inclusive education: Developing
successful programs. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Considerations: Co-Planning for Student Success
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Updated 2/20/2015
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Appendix G
Student-at-a-Glance Form
Name: ______________________________________
Date: _____________
Prepared by: ______________________________________________________
Student Strengths
Student Needs
Annual Goals
Accommodations (including instruction, testing, environment, assignments)
Adapted from Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities. (2001). Creating collaborative IEPs: A handbook.
Richmond, VA: Author.
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Appendix H
Student-at-a-Glance Example
Name: Mary
Prepared by: Ms. Williams
Date: Sept. 7, 2015
Student Strengths
Student Needs
Motivated to succeed
Reasoning, thinking skills
Auditory comprehension
General knowledge
Average ability
Completes class work
Participates in class discussion
Slow writer
Inconsistent completion of homework
Memorization of number facts
Notebook organization
Easily frustrated with long writing
assignments
Weak encoding and decoding skills
Severe reading disability
Annual Goals
• By June 2008, when given a daily planner with a calendar, space to write
assignments, and subject dividers, Mary will (a) write her assignments in the
planner, (b) check off each assignment as it is completed, (c) put completed
assignments in a folder color-coded according to subject, and (d) submit
assignments to her teachers prior to deadlines.
• Given topic ideas, Mary will write a 5-sentence paragraph with clear structure,
including a topic sentence, detail sentences, and a concluding sentence on four
consecutive writing assignments.
• Mary will write correct answers to the 1 through 12 multiplication facts in 15
minutes.
• Given 10 word problems at the seventh-grade level, Mary will correctly solve 80%
correct on weekly math tests.
• Mary will complete all assignments in 4 out of 5 classes for each of the grading
periods.
Accommodations (including instruction, testing, environment, assignments)
• Step-by-step graphic organizer for all writing assignments
• No timed tests
• Seating in quiet part of classroom
• Daily planner for all assignments
• Notebook with subject dividers
• Written assignments read when requested
• Word processing program provided when requested
Adapted from Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities. (2001). Creating collaborative IEPs: A handbook.
Richmond, VA: Author.
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Appendix I
Enhanced Scope and Sequence PLUS Writing Lesson Plan
WRITING Lesson Plan → Our Actions Show Who We Really Are
Organizing Topic Composing and Revising
Related Standard(s) of Learning
7.8
Objective(s)
The student will identify and select specific vocabulary and information to create a character
description.
Prerequisite Understandings/Knowledge/Skills
• The students are expected to understand basic descriptive language.
• The students are expected to possess basic predicting skills.
Materials Needed
Twelve grocery store items (e.g., vitamins, okra, baby food, kitty litter, frozen pizza, denture cleanser,
shoe polish, soy milk, frozen turkey, lima beans, hair dye, snack chips)
Three pictures of persons (e.g., a teenage skateboarder, a grandmother, a police officer)
Picture of shopping cart
Lesson Procedure
1. Display the grocery store items and the pictures of the persons and the shopping cart. Ask
students, What items would you not expect to find in the teenager’s shopping cart. In the
grandmother’s cart? In the police officer’s cart?
2. Facilitate discussion of who would buy which items and what this would reveal about the person’s
life. For example, students will probably not expect a teenage skateboarder to select baby food,
shoe polish, and okra. Lead a discussion of why these items might seem incongruous and what
situation might prompt such a purchase.
3. Discuss the writer’s technique of revealing a character through his/her actions. In the case of the
shopping cart, the writer would be revealing information about the character based on what his/her
shopping cart contains.
4. Have students list on a graphic organizer some expected and unexpected shopping items for the
characters, as shown in the following example.
Grandmother
Rock band
drummer
Snack foods
Bottled water
School principal
Expected items in
Bran cereal
Lettuce
shopping cart
Toothpaste
Bread
Unexpected items
Blue fingernail
Movie star
Frozen turkey
in shopping cart
polish
magazine
5. Assign students to select a character and describe several items the character might be expected
to have in his/her shopping cart that would reveal his/her personality. Possible additional
characters include minister, ballerina, athlete, nurse, truck driver, pharmacist, mother of twins, and
Santa Claus.
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6. Assign students to put one unexpected or “out-of-character” item into their character’s shopping
cart. This item should be so unexpected that the reader would want to know why it was purchased.
7. Model composing some possible beginning sentences, for example: “The Buford students Alex
and Alexis weren’t expecting to see their principal, Mr. Flynn, at the grocery store shopping so
early in the morning. They watched as he looked at his handwritten list, selected two fresh Roma
tomatoes, and added them to his cart. Then, he chuckled to himself and put the movie magazine,
Super Stars, into his cart.”
Specific options for differentiating this lesson:
Technology
• Using graphic organizing software, ask the students to categorize shopping items.
• Using a word processor, ask the students complete the assigned paragraph.
Multisensory
• Have the students present an oral interpretation of a teacher-assigned character using a
bag containing three items brought from home that they feel represent this character.
Community Connections
• Using the classified ads from a local print media, have pairs of students identify specific
vocabulary used in a job description appropriate for their character.
Small-Group Learning
• Have students assigned the same character meet in a group and “think, pair, share”
possible shopping cart items for their character.
• Using the assignment listed under Vocabulary, have the students share their descriptive
word list with others, guessing who their character is.
Vocabulary
• Using their knowledge of their assigned character, have the students create an
individual “character glossary” containing appropriate descriptive words and phrases
applicable to their character.
Student Organization of Content
• Have the students complete a graphic organizer that reveals various aspects of their
assigned character. Create the template for the organizer in graphic organizer software.
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